I Am Not an Object
by cherik-mcbender
Summary: Erik, used to treating women as though they are less than men, learns his lesson.


**Prompt:** _What if during the recruitment trip, Erik and Charles met a female telepath and Erik, being the asshole he is, says something misogynistic so the woman avenges by making Erik believe he's a woman for a couple of days and because whatever reason Charles can't fix it. For me, it's all about humor but I was thinking that Erik would be able to express his feels for Charles more explicitly considering the period typical homophobia. The best part is when Erik realizes what happened._

**Warning: **Includes sexual harassment.

Charles hadn't even needed to use Cerebro to find this woman. She was everywhere in the news. She was a mutant, and she was proud of it. So instead of simply showing up, he called ahead and told her he wanted to chat. And as usual, he brought Erik along. He never guessed that bringing him would result in such a…situation.

Charles pushed open the door of the bar, happily welcoming the gust of warm air that melted the snow coating on his hair. He took off his jacket, shaking off the wet flakes, and led Erik over to the bar. Erik ordered them each their usual, and Charles opened his mind to find the telepath.

_You looking for me?_

Charles opened his eyes, a smile playing at his lips. _Yes. Nice to meet you, Emma. Would you mind joining us for a drink?_

"Why the hell not," her voice said. Charles turned around and ended up face-to-face with the telepath.

He grinned. "Erik, I'd like you to meet Emma Frost."

Emma flashed him a smile and stuck out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Lehnsherr."

Erik's eyes raked up and down her, taking in her flowing blonde hair and the curves of her body. "Mhm."

"My eyes are up here," she said, squeezing his hand and digging her fingernails into it.

Erik snatched his hand back and rubbed it gingerly. "Jesus."

Charles rammed his elbow into Erik's side. "Please be respectful, Erik." He turned to Emma, his cheeks red with embarrassment. "I apologize for his behavior."

Emma ran a hand through her hair. "I would say it's fine, but of course it's not. But I deal with it enough, so I won't let it get to me." She slid onto the seat next to Charles, waving for a drink. "So, you wanted to meet with me?"

"Yes," Charles said excitedly. "You're an extremely powerful telepath."

"Trust me," Emma laughed, "I know."

"I'm travelling the globe looking for people like us – mutants. I've been studying mutation for years now, and I've started to form a school for children and adults alike so that we can educate ourselves about our powers and the political issues surrounding our existence."

Emma slurped the straw of her drink and looked at him for a minute, her eyes thoughtful. "Sounds fun. But I already know everything."

Erik chuckled. "I highly doubt tha – "

Charles cut him off quickly. "I'm sure you know a lot, Emma. From what I can see, you've really got a grasp of your abilities. But I'd love to learn from you, and perhaps I could teach you a few things myself. We could compare notes, maybe even learn each other's tricks and such."

"That does sound promising," she admitted. "However, I'm curious as to what your friend here meant with his comment."

"He didn't – "

"I'd like him to tell me himself, if you don't mind."

Charles swallowed his words, his jaw grinding as he turned to look at Erik.

Erik yawned. "I was just saying that I highly doubt that you know everything. Not nearly as much as Charles does, at least."

"And why is that? I'm just as old as him; I've been to school; I've learned through experience."

He shrugged. "Because you're a woman."

Emma's shoulders tensed. She narrowed her eyes, her lips pursed. "Wow." She turned back to Charles. "Honestly, I had hoped more of your friend."

"So had I," Charles said, his voice low.

Emma raised her fingers in front of Erik's face, took one final glance at his lazy, self-satisfied grin, and snapped them.

Charles stiffened. "What did you just…oh my god."

Emma lowered her hand and sat back down beside Charles. "If you respect me at all, don't stop this. Let it play out."

Charles looked desperately back and forth between Erik and Emma, his nostrils flared, until he leaned back with a sigh. "Fine. He's sexist, misogynistic, and …homophobic…and he really needs to learn his goddamn lesson. But only for tonight."

Emma nodded. "Okay. Only for tonight."

Erik took a sip of his drink and glared at them. "Only for tonight what?"

"Nothing, honey," Emma said sweetly.

Erik slipped off his stool. "I'm going to use the restroom. I'll be right back."

Emma snickered. "We'll be right here." Her eyes followed him past the tables and the servers and into the room with a stick figure in a dress painted on the door.

It didn't take long for him to come back out cursing. He collapsed back into his seat. "I don't know what thatwas all about. All the women in there…I don't even know."

"Hey Erik, that guy's food looks pretty good." Emma said, nodding toward a young man sitting at a table of rowdy, obnoxiously loud men. Erik shrugged. "Would you mind helping a girl out and asking him where it is on the menu?""

Erik smirked. "Fine."

"Another trick. Watch closely," Emma whispered to Charles, touching her finger to her temple and focusing intensely on Erik. Charles let his power slip away and watched from the perspective of any human, awestruck as Erik's body morphed into a female's right before his eyes, his hair growing and turning a lighter shade of brown, his face becoming softer, his waist and chest changing. Emma laughed bitterly. "Let's see how he likes it, shall we? Let's see how he feels about what I experience every single day of my life."

Charles watched helplessly as Erik sidled toward the table to talk to the man with the food. Every single one of the people at the table turned to look at Erik, their faces changing as they took in Erik's changed body.

"Hey there, sugar," one said, his hand reaching out and touching Erik's back, sliding down toward his butt.

Erik jumped away, shaken. "Excuse me. I was wondering if – "

"You're one hot piece, you know that?" another man said. He rubbed his hands together. "Why don't you come around to the back with me?"

"Hey, I claimed her," a third one said, elbowing his friend. "You can't take what's mine."

"I'm not anybody's," Erik growled. "What are you talking about?"

"C'mon, you know you want me more than you want him," the third man cooed.

"I don't want any of you, actually," Erik snapped. "I was only going to ask – "

"You're lying, little bitch. You know you want – "

Erik slapped the men's hands away. "Get the fuck off me," he hissed, turning on his heel and stalking back toward Emma. "What the hell was that? Those men – "

"Pretty terrible, isn't it? Feeling like an _object_ instead of a person?"

"It's horrible," Erik said, his voice catching in his throat. "God."

"Hm." Emma brought her finger down from her temple and watched Erik's form melt back to his normal body. "I thought so."

Charles touched Emma's arm lightly. "I think that's enough. I think he's learned his lesson. Could you please return him to normal?"

"I guess so," Emma said bitterly. "Look, I'm going to go to the bathroom. After that, I'll change him back."

Charles nodded his appreciation and watched her walk away, his shoulders hunched. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he looked back at Erik.

Erik picked up his vodka, downed the rest of it, and put his hand on Charles'. "Charles, I have something to tell you."

"Erik, you might not want to right now – "

"No, I've felt this for a long time. Since that first night you stopped me from leaving. And I know I feel a little weird tonight, and I just drank a lot, but I think I need to say this. Now. I – I love you, Charles."

Charles stared at him, his mouth slightly agape.

"I love you, and I have for a long time, and I need you to know that. You don't need to…to say it back. If you don't feel that way. But I needed you to know. That's it."

Emma coughed from behind him. Charles moved to look at her, his eyes wide with shock. She smiled sadly at him. "Homophobic, you say?" She touched Charles' knee gently with her left hand and snapped with her right. "I'm sorry, Charles."

Erik shook his head. "What just – what did you…I…I…."

"You'll never treat another woman as anything less than an equal now, will you, Erik? You've learned your lesson?" Emma said quietly.

"Yes. Yes, I have. I'm so sorry, Emma."

She picked up her bag from the bar. "Good. Goodbye, Charles. Maybe we'll meet again sometime later. Maybe you can teach me those tricks you know." And she walked out of the bar, sliding into her coat, her hair blown about by the wind as the door slammed behind her.

"Erik. I didn't…I never knew you felt that way, Erik."

Erik clenched his jaw. "I never wanted to, Charles. It's so…it's so wrong."

"No," Charles murmured. "It's not. It's nature. Erik." He brought Erik's chin up with two fingers. "I love you too, Erik."

Erik's eyes widened. "You do?"

"I do." Charles interlocked his fingers with Erik's. "Come on. Let's go home."


End file.
